The PTO at Canton Intermediate School has raised money to buy laptop computers for students there

CANTON — School funding as well as money raised by parents has brought an influx of new laptop computers to Canton Intermediate School, helping the school toward its goal of having one laptop for each student.

The parent-teacher organization contributed $14,000 in November to purchase 50 Chomebook computers. PTO President Jen Rottkamp said she hopes the new computers are purchased and ready to use by the time students return from Christmas vacation.

With this most recent donation the PTO has bought 75 Chromebooks for the intermediate school and that brings the number of them at the school to 225, said Principal Kevin Hanlon. That is about one for every two students. There are 430 students at school, Hanlon said.

Hanlon said all ninth-graders at Canton High School were given Chromebooks this year, and the laptops are widely used at Canton Middle School and Cherry Brook Primary School.

"There is a districtwide rollout with these," Hanlon said. "We are trying to get them as quickly as we can because we are finding all kinds of uses for them."

Rottkamp said raising money to buy Chromebooks is one of the PTO's main projects this year. She said the hope is to get enough money so that an additional 25 can be purchased next spring.

"There is a lot of passion among students around working with the Chromebooks, and the teachers are excited, too," Rottkamp said. "There is a lot of energy."

Hanlon said students and teachers use the laptops for math, writing, for class projects, accessing library services, learning to type and video projects.

"People have jumped on this and found a lot of good ways to use Chromebooks," Hanlon said.

Rottkamp said the PTO and other groups have also collected about 200 pieces of electronic equipment for recycling. In November, students, staff and school groups held a technology fair where parents learned about how computer technology is being used in the classroom.

Hanlon said he plans to seek more money in the 2015-16 budget to buy more Chromebooks.